Obsessed with your condition anyone??

Has anyone ever felt like that they have slightly become obsessed with their diabetes??

In my opinon Type one diabetes if almost like a child which needs care and alot of attention!! it can get angry and agressive when you ignore it and when you feel good it; in turn feels good and sometimes easier to manage.

But lately i cant help but think that diabetes is taking over way too much of my thoughts. Im thinking of the way im not complying with it, the way its going to effect my everyday activity, my future, my relationships, work, college, friends food ,family, doctor appointments, driving, sleeping, mood. my needle, my never ending fight for a pump, what i can and cant accomplish etc!! i mean its not always bad or negative thoghts i just find myself thinking about it ALL THE TIME! I sometimes dwell on the past and how it has made me sick and tired. I Im 22 now and i have had since i was 16 so its not like im new to the condition.

Why is this? i mean its only one aspect of my life and its not like im sitting around with nothing to do all day i think about it everywhere; with friends, in work at home in the car!

Does anyone think this could be some obsessive psychoanalylitical problem or is it just something which you never really stop thinkng about? The thoughts are not negative or depressive but they are just always there!! Its like every hour my mind cant go without thinking diabetes!!

I just think its a bit abnormal after 6 years of having the condition!!

Please shine a little bit of personal perspective!! im open to anything!!

6 replies

I was really interested in what you had to say in your post, and appreciated your honesty.

My experience has been that is always hard to say when a reasonable concern crosses over into becoming an obsession. A condition like diabetes requres constant dilegence, being careful what what you eat and when you eat it, monitoring your numbers at specified times, watching any potential variations in routine that might present problems. Self-care is a big job and requires constant diligence.

On the other hand, are you doing everything you need to do, but still finding that you constantly second guess yourself, or have a lot of anxiety over "what if" even when you are doing all the rght things, or are afraid to do participate more fully in life out of irrational fears, or that it is affecting your relationships... and any number of other concerns that are getting in the way of being the best you possible and having the best life possible?

I would encourage you to talk to mental health professional. Ideally, this would be someone who is experienced in working with indviduals facing chronic conditions, and preferably is experienced in cognitive behavioral therapy, and/or using mindfulness techniques. This would help you to gain some perspective on what's going on, to learn some techniques to deal with your anxiety.

The truth is im not constantly over anxious with my condition and deffinitly not over testing my sugars or but in the past i did have the habit of keeping feeling repressed from others about it!! and then theres the classic of making a joke out of the condition. I did see a preofessional in the past concerning my emotions and they prescribed my a small anti depressant which didnt work out with me!! (im a fecker for not taking my medication properly and i didnt really believe i needed amedication to solve my problem, maybe a cognative behavour intervention or something like that)The problem is; for someone who obsessively thinks about diabetes and has a great knowledge of the condition, i dont do much to keep it under control and that causes more thoughts of concern! its just a nasty vicisous circle!!

But your rite i think if it goes on for much longer speaking to a professional could help regulate the thoughts so im not constantly thinking obout it!! theres way more to life and im only 23, i should be thinking bout men clothes and rock n roll, not needles, DKA and carb counting!!

I'm right there with you and I'm a diet-and-exercise controlled T2. I'm only 2 years 3 months into this, so when I think I'm obsessive, I've been telling myself I'm just learning all about it (there's a lot to learn for someone with my horrible memory!) and it will get less obsessive over time. Well, maybe not, huh? I'll be tracking this discussion to hear what the others say… thanks for posting this.

I feel the same way. I think about it all the time, and if my blood sugar has a bad day, I have a bad day. Pairing this up with school, work, friends, and family is very overwhelming. I went to talk to a therapist last spring and it helped a lot. She helped me kind of sort things out. I still obsess about my numbers..but she helped me come to terms with that. Plus, my anxiety went down and that helps my numbers. Also, just venting, asking questions, and sharing stories on this support network helps.

I've had it for 27 years and I can't go to the grocery store without thinking in the back of my mind - what is my sugar level, when was the last time I had insulin, am I going up or down, access to sugar in an emergency, etc.

For me it has become second nature and I'm used to it. Occasionally I have moments of frustration / anger at the issues I have to deal with - but those are usually short lived.

If you get to the point where you are testing your sugar level every 30 minutes - you might want to talk to someone. But having these thoughts all the time is perfectly normal - and expected.